Storytelling as Strategic Communications

This morning, I have the opportunity to teach a class on Storytelling at the Center for Nonprofit Mangaement. DSVP began our storytelling initiative in 2008 to capture the stories and build the communications content for a social media campaign. (See homepage for links to twitter, facebook, linkedin, and this blog) As a small nonprofit with 2.5 staff members (.5 is really a whole person who works part-time), we had a shoestring budget and very limited time to commit to our marketing and communication efforts.

The primary focus was to engage our stakeholders in meaningful conversations about our work and the value we bring to the community. In the process, we have captured 13 stories from 31 interviews; produced over 500 photographs, gleaned 40 useable quotes, and helped attract a variety of traditional media coverage. The impact it has had on all of our printed and social media work is exponetial as we slice and dice that content.

In today's class, I intend to talk about approaching storytelling beyond the traditional elements of storytelling strategy, i.e. protagonist/conflict/emotional hook. I get worn out on the "emotional hook" angle of nonprofit storytelling. While appropriate and compelling to some of your stakeholders, others need a differnt "impact hook". We will explore stakeholder personas and motivations and how to let them communicate your mission's value.

Storytelling as Reinforcement of Mission - Slide Presentation

Storytelling as Reinforcement of Mission

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